1. Field of the Invention
The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to attachments for vacuum appliances. More specifically, the inventions disclosed and taught herein are related to crevice cleaning tool attachments which are adaptable for use in conjunction with a variety of vacuum cleaners.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vacuum cleaners of the type having a nozzle end and a handle end, as well as canister-type vacuum appliances like wet/dry vacuum cleaners, are generally well known in the art. When gripped by their handle ends and moved in a generally back and forth oscillatory motion, the nozzle ends of these devices trace a back-and-forth cleaning path. During such typical operation, the wrist of the hand by which the handle ends are gripped controls the trajectory of their nozzle ends. When in normal use with the hand extended straight out, the cleaning path is generally in front of the user, but when the wrists are rolled to either the right or to the left, the cleaning path traced by the nozzle ends follows the roll to the right and left of the wrist. In the case of vacuum appliances such as wet/dry vacuums, the user typically uses a vacuum hose that attaches directly to the vacuum head, allowing for collection of dirt, solid debris, and liquids in the vacuum collection drum. In this operation, the user typically moves the open end of the vacuum hose, versus the entire vacuum appliance, over the debris to be collected.
In general, these vacuum appliances perform quite well to pick up dirt, solid debris, and liquid spillage (in the case of wet/dry vacuums) immediately subjacent to their nozzle ends, whether stationery, or when moved in one of the manners described above. However, to clean areas that lie beyond the cleaning path obtained by manipulating such devices, e.g., within the crevices of wood floors, or under furniture, various attachment tools need to be employed. One type of known attachment tool is the crevice tool. Generally, such a tool includes an end for attachment to the nozzle end of a hand-held vacuum appliance or an associated vacuum hose, a nozzle end, often smaller than the nozzle end of the vacuum cleaner, and a rigid, narrow tube axially connecting the attachment and the nozzle ends in fluid-tight communication.
With the crevice tool attached, back and forth motion of the hand-held vacuum cleaner enables cleaning in small or spatially-confined areas, such as in crevices and cracks (such as the cracks between wood floor boards), as well under furniture where dust, debris, or liquids can accumulate and which do not lie in an area that is easily traced by the standard cleaning path of a vacuum cleaner. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,340 describes a multi-component crevice tool for a hand-held vacuum cleaner, the nozzle end of which may be indexed to different rotation positions so as to clean spillage in small areas defined by angular cross-sections, such as the small space between a bookshelf and a closely adjacent wall, that otherwise may not permit of ready cleaning (except, for example, by moving the bookcase away from the wall). Other approaches have included crevice tools adapted for use with a water extraction cleaning machine, and tools which incorporate a long, rubber body for flexibility. A further approach, suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,493, describes a vacuum cleaner attachment which has an attachment cylinder and a plate enclosing one end of the attachment cylinder. A semi-rigid tube is attached to and extends from a front side of the plate, and a flexible sheet is attached at a centrally located edge to a circumference portion of the attachment cylinder. A hook-and-loop type fastener is attached to outside edges of the flexible sheet so that when the back side of the attachment cylinder is placed over an end of a vacuum cleaner hose, the flexible sheet may be wrapped around the vacuum cleaner hose and the hook and loop faster may be engaged to secure the attachment cylinder in place. Ridges reportedly may be provided along a central portion of a length of the tube to adjust the rigidity to the central portion of the tube, and top and bottom scrapper wings are attached adjacent an end of the tube away from the attachment cylinder. Additional, detachable cleaning elements are also provided that have a securing cylinder of diameter larger than a diameter of the attachment cylinder to enable one end to slip fit over the attachment cylinder, the securing cylinder having axial slots to engage the wings to hold the securing cylinder in place on the attachment cylinder, and bristles carried on the securing cylinder on an end opposite the one end of the securing cylinder.
Another type of known attachment tool for use with vacuum cleaners for cleaning narrow or hard-to-reach areas is the so-called “extension wand.” Generally, such a tool includes an end for attachment to the nozzle end of a hand-held vacuum cleaner, a nozzle end, and an elongated, rigid tube connecting the attachment and nozzle ends in fluid-tight communication. The reach of the vacuum cleaner is thus extended to the degree that the rigid interconnecting tube is elongated, thereby permitting cleaning of spillage and debris in areas that otherwise would lie beyond the reach of the hand-held vacuum cleaner. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,311 discloses a telescoping assembly especially suited for vacuum cleaner wands that includes a first tube having an outer diameter and a second tube having an inner diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the first tube. In this way, the first tube fits within the second tube in an axially sliding manner. A collet is positioned within the second tube and encircles the first tube. The collet includes a locking element for selectively securing the first tube in relation to the second tube, the locking element cooperating with a portion of the second tube upon a rotation of the collet to prevent a telescoping movement of the first tube in relation to the second tube. This multi-component extension wand reportedly telescopes outward so as to clean spillage in areas that may lie at different distances.
The previously described and utilized attachment tools, however, have had their utility limited either by over-complexity, difficulty in manufacturing, shortened tool lifespan, or poor flexibility such that during operation, the amount of vacuum pressure available for cleaning is reduced.
The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to vacuum attachments for use with a vacuum appliance, wherein the attachments include a long, narrow extension portion that includes a flexible region having support ribs and a non air-permeable flexible material applied over the ribs, wherein the flexible region allows access of the attachment to confined areas that are not normally accessible to more rigid vacuum attachments.